Neilma Bailieu Gantner (7 November 1922 – 15 June 2015) was an Australian philanthropist and author who wrote as Neilma Sidney.

Early life and education

Born in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, California on 7 November 1922, Neilma Baillieu Myer was the elder daughter of Merlyn (née Baillieu) and

Sidney Myer Sidney Myer (born Simcha Myer Baevski (); 8 February 18785 September 1934) was a Russian-born Jewish-Australian businessman and philanthropist, best known for founding Myer, Australia's largest chain of department stores. Early life Myer was ...

. The family moved back to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia in 1929. In 1952, following her divorce, she studied for a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and creative writing at Stanford University.

Career

Gantner returned to Melbourne with her two sons in 1954. In 1955 she was a member of the Victorian board of the

International Social Service The International Social Service (ISS) is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 1924. It provides assistance in resolving international child protection cases. The ISS is organised as a global network of over 120 countr ...

. In mid-1955 she was responsible for signing up hundreds of subscribers to ''

Meanjin ''Meanjin'' (), formerly ''Meanjin Papers'' and ''Meanjin Quarterly'', is an Australian literary magazine. The name is derived from the Turrbal word for the spike of land where the city of Brisbane is located. It was founded in 1940 in Brisbane ...

,'' prior to its 15th anniversary. In the same year she self-published her first collection of short stories. Twelve more books followed. Her elder son, Vallejo, aged 19, was killed in a shooting accident. Gantner subsequently was granted permission to build a hut for bushwalkers in his memory. The Vallejo Gantner Hut is in the

Alpine National Park The Alpine National Park is a national park located in the Central Highlands and Alpine regions of Victoria, Australia. The national park is located northeast of Melbourne. It is the largest National Park in Victoria, and covers much of the hig ...

. In 1991 she founded the biennial Four Winds Festival at Bermagui, bringing classical music performers to the far south coast of New South Wales. Gantner was a member of The Myer Foundation and other Myer family philanthropic funds.

Works

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Legacy

Two awards have been established and named in her honour, the Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize and the Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund, supported by The Myer Foundation.

Personal

At 18 Gantner married Vallejo Gantner, an apparel manufacturer in San Francisco on 8 August 1941 at St John's Church, Toorak. Her younger sister, Marigold Myer (later Lady Southey) was bridesmaid. The couple made their home in San Francisco, where Gantner gave birth to two sons, Vallejo junior in 1942 and Carrillo in 1944. In July 1949 she was granted a divorce from her husband on the grounds of cruelty and, although given physical custody of her sons, was prevented from bringing them to Australia for their education. Gantner died on 15 June 2015 in Bermagui, New South Wales. She was survived by her son, Carrillo, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gantner, Neilma 1922 births 2015 deaths 20th-century Australian women writers 20th-century Australian writers Australian people of Belarusian-Jewish descent Australian philanthropists 20th-century women philanthropists Australian expatriates in the United States Myer family